Device for controlling feeding position of fabric

ABSTRACT

A device for correcting transverse position of a fabric which is continuously fed in longitudinal direction into a treating machine, such as a dyeing machine, which comprises a correcting roll around a part of which said fabric is carried while it is fed to said machine, said correcting roll including a shaft, means for driving said shaft, flanges fixedly formed on said shaft adjacent its opposite ends, a plurality of slidable bars so supported by said flanges that the bar is fixed relative to the flanges in the peripheral direction but slidable relative to the latter in the axial direction, a cylindrical cam for imparting reciprocal sliding motion to the respective slidable bars and being freely rotatable on said shaft, a first stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in first position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in one direction at said part of the correcting roll, a second stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in second position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in the opposite direction at the same part of the correcting roll and selvedge-sensing means for sensing the selvedge of the fabric to produce correcting signal which is applied to one of the first and second stop means to stop the cylindrical cam in one of said first and second positions.

United States Patent Toknnaga [72] lnventor:

[73] Assignee:

Yoshiyuki Tokunaga, F ukui, Japan Fukui Seiren Kako Kabushiki Kaisha, Fukui-ken, Japan [22] Filed: MayZl, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 39,212

[52] U.S. Cl ..226/20, 226/19 [51] Int. Cl ..B65h 25/26 [58] Field oISearch ..226/3, 15, 18-20 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,752,151 6/1956 Levine ..226/20 2,332,104 10/1943 Meyer ..226/20 Primary ExaminerAllen N. Knowles Assistant ExaminerGene A. Church Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher 6 5 L. l l

[ 1 Jan. 25, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT A device for correcting transverse position of a fabric which is continuously fed in longitudinal direction into a treating machine, such as a dyeing machine, which comprises a correcting roll around a part of which said fabric is carried while it is fed to said machine, said correcting roll including a shaft, means for driving said shaft, flanges fixedly formed on said shaft adjacent its opposite ends, a plurality of slidable bars so supported by said flanges that the bar is fixed relative to the flanges in the peripheral direction but slidable relative to the latter in the axial direction, a cylindrical cam for imparting reciprocal sliding motion to the respective slidable bars and being freely rotatable on said shaft, a first stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in first position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in one direction at said part of the correcting roll, a second stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in second position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in the opposite direction at the same part of the correcting roll and selvedge-sensing means for sensing the selvedge of the fabric to produce correcting signal which is applied to one of the first and second stop means to stop the cylindrical cam in one of said first and second positions.

3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED M25197? SHEET 1 [SF .2

FIG. 2

INVENTOR YOSHIYUKI TOKUNAGA ATTORNEYS SHLET 2 (if 2 PATENTED Jmzsmz FIG. 5

INVENTOR 'II'OKUNAGA YOSHIYUKI BY I mpa Mum ATTORNEYS DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING FEEDING POSITION OF FABRIC BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for correcting transverse position of a fabric which is continuously fed in longitudinal direction into a treating machine, such as a dyeing machine, whereby the fabric is introduced into the treating machine in its correct transverse position, and, more particularly, it relates to a device of the above kind which is advantageously applied to the correction of transverse position of a knitted fabric.

Heretofore, the correction of transverse position of a fabric which is continuously fed in longitudinal direction has been usually accomplished by a correcting device which serves to pull selvedges of the fabric from its right and left sides to bring the fabric to its normal position. Such a device, however, is hardly applied to a knitted fabric which has substantial expansibility and lacks firmness and which is usually made with broad width.

If the correcting operation is applied to the knitted fabric having broad width by the conventional correcting device which acts to pull the selvedge of the fabric, it may appear that the correction is made at the point where the selvedges are pulled by said device. But, in fact, the fabric is not corrected throughout its full width but expanded at its selvedge portions only, and, consequently, the fabric is restored to its original state after it has passed the point where the selvedges are pulled by the device and no actual correction is accomplished thereby.

Thus, it will be understood that the conventional correcting device cannot attain its object with regard to a knitted fabric which has substantial expansibility and tends to change its width with slight change in tension applied thereto. Accordingly it has been demanded to provide a correcting device suitable for the correction of such knitted fabric in which the correcting action can be obtained with little or no tension being applied to the fabric.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a correcting device for correcting transverse position of a fabric continuously fed in longitudinal direction, which eliminates the disadvantages of the conventional correcting device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a correcting device of the above kind, which is particularly suitable for the correction of a knitted fabric.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a correcting device of the above kind, in which the correction can be made without tension being applied to the fabric.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a correcting device of the above kind, in which the correction is made throughout its full width.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device for correcting transverse position of a fabric continuously fed in longitudinal direction into a treating machine, comprising a correcting roll around a part of which said fabric is carried while it is fed to the treating machine, said correcting roll including a shaft, means for driving said shaft, flanges fixedly formed on said shaft adjacent its opposite ends, a plurality of slidable bars so supported by said flanges that each bar is fixed relative to the flanges in the peripheral direction but slidable relative to the latter in the axial direction, a cylindrical cam for imparting reciprocal sliding motion to the respective slidable bars and being freely rotatable on said shaft, a first stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in first position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in one direction at said part of the correcting roll, a second stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in second position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in the opposite direction at the same part of the correcting roll and selvedge-sensing means for sensing the selvedge of the fabric to produce correcting signal which is applied to one of the first and second stop means to stop the cylindrical cam in one of said first and second positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, in which;

FIG. 1 is a side view of the correcting device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3a and 3b are diagrammatic views showing the first position of the cylindrical cam, FIG. 311 being an end view and FIG. 3b being a side view;

FIGS. 4a and 4b are diagrammatic views showing the second position of the cylindrical cam, FIG. 4a being an end view and FIG. 412 being a side view; and

FIG. 5 diagrammatically shows the path of the fabric passing around the device according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, the correcting device comprises a correcting roll, generally indicated by 1, which is so arranged that a fabric is carried around a half part of said correcting roll while the fabric is fed in the longitudinal direction into a fabric-treating machine, such as a dyeing machine.

The correcting roll 1 includes a shaft 2 driven by a driving means (not shown), a pair of flanges 3 fixedly formed on said shaft 2 adjacent the opposite ends thereof and a plurality of slidable bars 4 which are supported on said flanges 3 at bearings S. The slidable bar 4 is fixed relative to the flanges 3 in the peripheral direction but slidable relative to the latter in the axial direction. The slidable bar 4 has a surface layer, such as a rubber film, to prevent slippage of the fabric on the surface of the bar.

A wheel cylindrical cam 6 for imparting reciprocal sliding motion to the slidable bars 4 is rotatably mounted on one end of said shaft 2. The cylindrical cam 6 has a cam groove 7, and cam pins 8 fixed at one ends of the respective slidable bars 4 are engaged in said cam groove 7. Accordingly, as the slidable bars 4 are rotated relative to the cylindrical cam 6, the cam pins 8 move along the cam groove 7 to produce the reciprocal sliding motion of the slidable bars 4.

A wheel 9 having a pawl 10 thereon is integrally formed with said cylindrical cam 6 and a pair of stop means for stopping said wheel are arranged around the wheel 9. Each of the stop means consists of a pneumatic ram 11 having a stopper 12 which is adapted to project into a path of said pawl 10 to stop the rotation of the wheel 9.

A pulley 13 is fixed on the other end of said shaft 2 and is driven by the driving means to rotate the shaft 2. A selvedgesensing means 14, such as a photoelectric tube, is arranged in the path of the fabric, as shown in FIG. 5. The sensing means 14 acts to sense the selvedge of the fabric to generate correction signal which is applied to one of the pneumatic rams 11. Thus the pneumatic ram projects its stopper 12 to stop the rotation of the wheel 9.

Now the operation of the correcting device will be explained.

The fabric is fed along a path shown by 15 in FIG. 5. Said fabric is firstly expanded by an expander roll 16, then carried around the half part of the correcting roll 1 and passed through the selvedge-sensing means 14 into a dyeing machine or other treating machine. When the fabric is carried around the correcting roll 1, it successively comes into contact with the slidable bars 4.

Under normal condition, the slidable bars 4 and the cylindrical cam 6 are rotated together with shaft 2, so that the sliding bars 4 are not subject to sliding motion in the transverse direction. If the fabric is displaced to the right or left, the selvedge-sensing means 14 senses the selvedge of the fabric to generate a correction signal, which is applied to one of the pneumatic rams ill to project its stopper 12 toward the wheel 9. Thus the cylindrical cam 6 is stopped in position where the transverse sliding motion of the slidable bars 4 is produced to correct the transverse position of the fabric.

For example, if the fabric is displaced to the left and a correction signal is generated by the selvedge-sensing means 14 to indicate that the fabric is to be moved to the right, the correction signal is applied to the first pneumatic ram 11 to project its stopper 12 as shown in FIG. 3a, and consequently the cylindrical cam 6 is stopped at the position shown in FIG. 3b. As the slidable bar is rotated with the shaft 2 for a half revolution from its uppermost position to its lowermost position, as shown by an arrow 17 in FIG. 3a, the cam pin 8 moves along the cam groove 7 of the cylindrical cam 6 to produce sliding motion of the slidable bar 4 from left to right, as shown by an arrow 18 in FIG. 3b. The fabric, which is carried around the half-part of the correcting roll, is moved to the right owing to the sliding motion of the slidable bar 4, thereby correcting its transverse position. When the fabric is moved by the slidable bar, the slippage of said fabric on the slidable bar is effectively prevented by the surface layer, such as rubber film, provided on the outer surface of the slidable bar. After the half-revolution of the correcting roll 1, the fabric moves off the slidable bar 4, which is rotated from the lowermost position to the uppermost position while making sliding motion in the opposite direction.

If the fabric is displaced to the right, a correction signal generated by the selvedge-sensing means 14 is applied to another ram 11, which projects its stopper 12 to stop the wheel 9 and the cylindrical cam 6 at the positions as shown in FIG. 4a and 4b. Accordingly, as the slidable bar 4 is rotated around the shaft 2 for a half revolution from its uppermost position to lowermost position as shown by an arrow 19 in FIG. 4a, the bar 4 is moved from right to left as shown by an arrow 20 in FIG. 4b, so that the fabric is moved to the left to correct its transverse position. After the half revolution, the slidable bar is moved in the opposite direction while making the next half-revolution from its lowermost position to its uppermost position.

When the transverse position of the fabric has been corrected and the selvedge-sensing means 14 indicates the normal position of the fabric, the stopper 12 is retracted into the ram 11 and the cylindrical cam becomes rotated again with the shaft 2. Thus the slidable bars 4, the cylindrical cam 6 and the wheel 9 rotate together, to feed the fabric in the normal manner.

it will be understood from the above explanation that the transverse movement of the slidable bar, namely, rightward and leftward movement and stop of the movement, is controlled by the cylindrical cam 6 to maintain the fabric in its normal transverse position. Thus the fabric is introduced into the treating machine in the correct transverse position. The pulley 13 may be driven through a transmission from the driving means so that the correcting roll 1 may be driven at desired speed to feed the fabric under desired tension or without tension to attain its object.

lclaim:

l. A device for correcting transverse position of a fabric which is continuously fed in longitudinal direction into a treating machine, said device comprising a correcting roll around a part of which the fabric is carried, said correcting roll including a shaft, means for driving said shaft, flanges fixedly formed on said shaft adjacent its opposite ends, a plurality of slidable bars so supported by said flanges that the bar is fixed relative to the flanges in the peripheral direction but slidable relative to the latter in the axial direction, a cylindrical cam for imparting reciprocal sliding motion to the respective slidable bars and being freely rotatable on said shaft, a first stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in first position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in one direction at said part of the correcting roll, a second stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in second position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in the opposite direction at the same part of the correctin roll and selvedge sensing means for sensing the slevedge o the fabric to generate correcting signal which is applied to one of the first and second stop means to stop the cylindrical cam in one of said first and second positions.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which each of the stop means comprises a pneuamtic ram having a stopper adapted to project into a path of a pawl formed on a wheel integrally connected with the cylindrical cam.

3. A device according to claim 2, in which a pair of stop means are arranged around the wheel in diametrically opposite relationship. 

1. A device for correcting transverse position of a fabric which is continuously fed in longitudinal direction into a treating machine, said device comprising a correcting roll around a part of which the fabric is carried, said correcting roll including a shaft, means for driving said shaft, flanges fixedly formed on said shaft adjacent its opposite ends, a plurality of slidable bars so supported by said flanges that the bar is fixed relative to the flanges in the peripheral direction but slidable relative to the latter in the axial direction, a cylindrical cam for imparting reciprocal sliding motion to the respective slidable bars and being freely rotatable on said shaft, a first stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in first position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in one direction at said part of the correcting roll, a second stop means for stopping said cylindrical cam in second position where sliding motion is exerted to the slidable bars in the opposite direction at the same part of the correcting roll and selvedge sensing means for sensing the slevedge of the fabric to generate correcting signal which is applied to one of the first and second stop means to stop the cylindrical cam in one of said first and second positions.
 2. A device according to claim 1, in which each of the stop means comprises a pneuamtic ram having a stopper adapted to project into a path of a pawl formed on a wheel integrally connected with the cylindrical cam.
 3. A device according to claim 2, in which a pair of stop means are arranged around the wheel in diametrically opposite relationship. 